ArticlePLoS pathogens2019
The phage gene wmk is a candidate for male killing by a bacterial endosymbiont.
Article in PLoS pathogens, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 61 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
61 citing papers in PubMed, 113 citations in OpenAlex.
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- Extensive mobilome dynamics in a widespread endosymbiont: long read metagenomics reveal dimeric plasmids and highly fragmented prophages in Wolbachia from Culex pipiens.Research square · 2026Article
- Genome assembly and protein structure modeling reveal key molecular features of divergentMicrobiology spectrum · 2026Article
- A co-speciation dilemma and a lifestyle transition with genomic consequences in Wolbachia of Neotropical Drosophila.BMC genomics · 2025Article
- A high-quality draft genome assembly of the Neotropical butterfly, Batesia hypochlora (Nymphalidae: Biblidinae).BMC genomics · 2025Article
- Endosymbionts interacting with sex-determining genes and processes.Current opinion in insect science · 2025Review
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- Wolbachia Host Shifts and Widespread Occurrence of Reproductive Manipulation Loci in European Butterflies.Molecular ecology · 2025Article
- Single-cell genome analysis of a feminizingMicrobial genomics · 2025Article
- Evolutionary Diversification and Functions of the Candidate Male Killing Gene wmk.Genome biology and evolution · 2025Article
- Diversity and spread of cytoplasmic incompatibility genes among maternally inherited symbionts.PLoS genetics · 2025Article
- Comparative genomics and transcriptomics of theResearch square · 2025Article
- Microbial diversity and functional potential of the Halobates melleus (Heteroptera: Gerridae) microbiome from the Red Sea coastline.Environmental microbiome · 2025Article
- A reference genome for Trichogramma kaykai: a tiny desert-dwelling parasitoid wasp with competing sex-ratio distorters.G3 (Bethesda, Md.) · 2025Article
- Wolbachia Feminises a Spider Host With Assistance From Co-Infecting Symbionts.Environmental microbiology · 2025Article
- Review
- Elucidating the Molecular Mechanisms of Sex Ratio Distortion Mediated by Cytoplasmic Symbionts.Genome biology and evolution · 2025Review
1 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Wolbachia are the most widespread maternally-transmitted bacteria in the animal kingdom. Their global spread in arthropods and varied impacts on animal physiology, evolution, and vector control are in part due to parasitic drive systems that enhance the fitness of infected females, the transmitting sex of Wolbachia. Male killing is one common drive mechanism wherein the sons of infected females are selectively killed. Despite decades of research, the gene(s) underlying Wolbachia-induced male killing remain unknown. Here using comparative genomic, transgenic, and cytological approaches in fruit flies, we identify a candidate gene in the eukaryotic association module of Wolbachia prophage WO, termed WO-mediated killing (wmk), which transgenically causes male-specific lethality during early embryogenesis and cytological defects typical of the pathology of male killing. The discovery of wmk establishes new hypotheses for the potential role of phage genes in sex-specific lethality, including the control of arthropod pests and vectors.
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